About us

The Publisher |
01 December 2013
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We serve Investors and focus on the tax advantages of a SMSF

Personal Super Investor (PSI) is a web site that is relevant for all investors, not just people with a Self Managed Super Fund. It is a hard to argue that one of the best ways to build wealth is to be as tax effective as you possibly can, leaving more of your hard earned money in your hands rather than in the tax man's. PSI's approach is strategically designed to benefit SMSF investors. We will talk to people who already have a fund and people who are looking to set up a fund. SMSF Trustees understand that building an investment portfolio within the tax advantaged environment of a SMSF will not only help them achieve their goals much faster but will potentially deliver greater returns than would be the case outside of super. The massive shift of investors out of managed super funds to self-managed super funds in recent times has been motivated by the fact that people have been unhappy with the performance of their traditional super funds and believe they could do better. SMSF Investors also want to take control of their retirement investments and are prepared to accept the responsibility for the performance of their fund. They know that the only person who will truly look after their financial future, is them.

Our difference is our independance

What separates Personal Super Investor (PSI) from most other SMSF web based news and information sites, is our independence. Did you know that over 75% of financial advisers have some ‘ownership’ connection to a product or service vendor? A lot of SMSF web sites that may appear to be 'media' are often funded by financial product or service providers trying to attract smsf clients? PSI will not try to sell you anything as we are independently owned and operated. Our staff have backgrounds in media, not product suppliers. Our editor, David James was a senior journalist with BRW for nearly 25 years. Whilst we may carry advertising content on our website, Personal super Investor itself, does not sell any financial product or service to consumers. Our primary funding comes from advertiser support. Our ownership structure allows us to provide independent and unbiased information and analysis. PSI will keep you up to date on what is happening in the SMSF and investment arenas. Our staff writers have extensive experience in business and finance and we also have access to all the news and essential data to keep you informed. In addition to our staff writers, we have access to some of the finest minds from across the financial services industry to delve into specialised areas that could benefit SMSF's. Our primary goal is to help investors maximise their investment opportunities by being better informed. Personal Super Investor does not provide advice. We seek to educate and inform readers so that they are better equiped to manage their own Self Managed Super fund.

Creating an experienced investor

You don’t need a Degree in Finance or years of experience working in the investment industry to be a successful investor. Similarly, most people are capable of running a Self Managed Super Fund. However, what you do need, is the right approach. Our philosophy is you need to be conservative and well informed while always remembering what it is that you are trying to achieve, that is, fund your retirement. This also means having realistic expectations about risk and returns. Adopting the right philosophy will help you cut through the ‘investment disinformation clutter’ often spruiked by those looking to sell you something. Included in the missinformation sphere are well meaning friends providing advice and share tips that are often based on uninformed opinions or rumour. To be a successful investor, you don’t need to be a financial genius, but you do need to be cautious, as the world is full of people looking to take a piece of your portfolio for themselves. Knowledge and understanding will help you to navigate the sometimes tricky path of wealth creation.

Whether you are contemplating setting up a fund or are a seasoned SMSF investor, PSI will cater to your needs. PSI will provide analysis and commentary using a conservative and sensible approach to investing. Our aim is to help equip you with the right approach and knowledge so you can make informed decisions that meet your overall objective, which is to provide for your retirement.

What you need to know to operate a SMSF

One of the essential tools to running a SMSF is the right attitude and knowledge. The right approach is essential as it can mean the difference between success or failure. Knowledge takes two forms, one is possessing the right philosophy so you can apply the right risk-return balance while always giving priority to protecting your assets. A part of your philosphy includes using the SMSF structure to take advantage of the tax concessions available within it but to always remeber what its primary goal is - to provide for your retirement. Super is not a place to be taking risks or investing in assets that are of little value to you in retirement. The SMSF environment comes with plenty of rules and regulations so you’ll need to keep up to date with any policy changes so you do not run foul of the tax man. PSI will provide updates and commentary on SMSF compliance requirements as they are released. The second part of the knowledge equation is data. You need to keep up to date with the latest information whether it be: market news, government policy, interest rates, exchange rates, commodity prices, share prices, etc. A key part of running a fund is being prepared to get help. Taking advantage of people with skills greater than your own makes a lot of sense. In addition to our own PSI insights, we also look at what the brokers are reviewing. Whilst we won’t tell you specifically what to buy or sell, our aim is to equip you with enough knowledge to make better informed decisions. After all, it's your money and your decision.

What we offer: Analysis & Insights

PSI will provide deeper company analysis. We will drill down beyond the numbers. What are the industry leaders saying? Where is the potential for profits? We will profile companies and look beyond the balance sheets to see what is going on behind the scenes with the view to identifying where potential lies and who the good operators are and what constitutes a good company. We will also look at the Macro-economic picture. Has the economic environment changed or is it likely to change? How will it affect individual stocks? We will analyse national and international markets and identify the issues that are likely to affect Australian investors in the future. In addition to shares, bonds and property, we will also look at alternative investments. We will only ever explore an alternative investment as long as it fits our criteria of a conservative superannuation investment. After all, a superannuation trustee's aim should be to invest, not speculate. PSI will include an archive which will provide a repository for: stories, profiles, analysis, facts or data that you may have missed or want to reacquaint yourself with.